# Need help on GIMP paint program



## Autumn (Oct 14, 2008)

So we got a new Mac months ago after our old computer went insane. I haet the Mac (mostly because I'm not used to it after using Windows for the past whatever years of my life and it _doesn't have freaking Paint_).

So I was in desperate need of a Paint-esque program, and my dad got us GIMP because the Photoshop I got last year for my birthday isn't compatible with Macs.

Anyway, the first thing I'm trying to do is take the banner in my signature - the Leafpool one - and put gradients in between each distinct image so that it's more than just a collection of images spliced together with the word "Leafpool" written across in fancy text. I found the gradient button, but I can't seem to find any sort of thing that would help me create the colors for the gradient. Hell, I can't even find the thing that would normally let you make a color (the Define Custom Colors option in Paint). And I'm pissed off about all this.

Anyone own GIMP and know how I can work this gradient crap? (I want Paint/Photoshop back. ; ;)


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## surskitty (Oct 14, 2008)

Double-click the colour boxes in the main panel.


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## Eevee (Oct 14, 2008)

OS X doesn't come with Paint because Paint is *utter garbage* and people who want to do graphics on Macs almost universally have a ridiculously more powerful program anyway.

GIMP out of the box for Macs doesn't fit in well; you probably want Seashore, which is just most of GIMP's features in a prettier box.

You don't usually use a palette in real editors.  You just click the currently-selected boxes and change the color.


You want to:
1. put one of the images on a separate layer
2. give it a layer mask, opaque
3. use gradient tool with the black->white gradient and slap it on the edge
4. futz around until it's how you like it

If I weren't at work I would go into painful screenshot-aided detail here.


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## Autumn (Oct 14, 2008)

Okay, I've made the image - how do I combine the layers, now?


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## Retsu (Oct 14, 2008)

Do you really want to merge them? I don't see much point in doing so, but...

Layer > Merge Down


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## Autumn (Oct 15, 2008)

Oh well, I managed to get it anyway. xD

(Does it look right...?)


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## Retsu (Oct 15, 2008)

The only thing I'd suggest would be using the blur tool to blend the images together even further.


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## Eevee (Oct 15, 2008)

You only need to fade the edge of ONE layer, and then you can move it so it overlaps the layer below and they will blend together.

Also, you don't need to merge the layers.  Just save and it'll merge them for you.


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## Autumn (Oct 15, 2008)

Does it still look all right? D: [/paranoid]

By the way, my dad managed to get some program called Paintbrush now - anyone know how that is?


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## Eevee (Oct 15, 2008)

Paintbrush is just Paint for Mac, essentially.  It's crap and definitely won't do what you want here.

What you want is this:






Open this in GIMP and play with the layers to see what I did


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## Retsu (Oct 15, 2008)

Wow, Eevee! That's really well-done.


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## Autumn (Oct 15, 2008)

I... still can't figure out exactly how that was made to blend the images instead of just doing the fade-effect my sig has. o.o Can you elaborate, please?

EDIT: wait, I got it - now just having problems getting the layers to come together when I save.


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## Eevee (Oct 15, 2008)

_Overlap_ the layers with the Move tool.  Draw the gradient on the top layer so only the overlapping part fades.  You can see this in my xcf if you look at the Layers dialog: the top layer still has its mask, and it has a gradient on the left edge.

Layer masks are just a separate black-and-white part of a layer that let you easily change how transparent each pixel is.


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## Autumn (Oct 15, 2008)

I have all the separate images gradient'd on their individual layers, but now I can't figure out how to get them all into one image when I save. :/

EDIT: never mind I gots it~ <3

Thanks for the help~


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